Spark: Cutting Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Production: One of the Year’s Biggest Energy Challenges

Leave it to the rocket scientists to solve our biggest climate mysteries. That’s exactly what NASA has done to kick off 2018, using a spectrometer imaging satellite to measure global methane emissions—a potent greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change—and revealing an alarming increase in these emissions that threatens our climate. Our best chance to address runaway methane emissions is to tighten up the oil and gas supply chain where large amounts of methane are intentionally vented and unintentionally leaked. Read More.

Last week, the Trump administration announced new tariffs as high as 30 percent on solar equipment made abroad—the growing $28 billion industry relies on parts made abroad for 80 percent of supply. What impacts will this have on the solar market? Who stands to win and to lose from this decision? Watch our latest interview with RMI CEO Jules Kortenhorst on the implications of the new tariff on solar imports for all Americans. Watch Now.

The net-zero energy (NZE) movement is gaining momentum, revolutionizing building design and construction and presenting new career opportunities for students. In this blog post, our recent intern, Caroline Winslow, describes how trends in the NZE movement are helping her to determine where she can best focus her efforts toward finding a career path that holds strong potential for her personal and professional ambitions. Her time at RMI opened her eyes to the expansive opportunities for getting involved in this growing movement that is redefining buildings as we know them. Read More.

RMI’s Shine team talks with Darren Schauer, CEO of Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, and Luis Reyes, CEO of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, about how they are integrating distribution-scale solar into their operating systems and how their members are benefitting. The discussion also includes projections for the growth trajectory of these solar systems for electricity cooperatives across the country. Listen Now.

The year 2017 saw two cataclysmic hurricanes pile into the Caribbean and, although recovery is well underway, some islands—Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, for example—are far from back to normal. Paired with a banner year for renewable energy, with record-setting power purchase agreements and first technology commissionings for multiple islands, 2017 was a roller coaster ride for the Caribbean energy sector. In this New Energy Events article, Chris Burgess, RMI director of projects for the Islands Energy Program, joins other experts in discussing what to anticipate for 2018. Read More.

What we do today to define our future—and face the urgent threat of climate change head-on—is more important than ever. Your investment in RMI will accelerate the market-led transition to a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future for generations to come. Donate Today.